Blu-ray Review - Fort Yuma Gold & Damned Hot Day of Fire (Western Double Feature)

*This is a sponsored review. All opinions are 100% mine.

I need to kick my own butt into gear as I have several books and DVDs/Blu-rays piled up on my desk that need to reviewed, such as the Western Double Feature Blu-ray which was sent to me by Mill Creek Entertainment way back in the spring. The two movies on the single-disc Blu-ray (Not Rated; 3 hrs 21 mins; $14.98) are Fort Yuma Gold and Damned Hot Day of Fire. These are films are two of Quentin Tarantino's favorite spaghetti westerns. There are no special features or bonus extras.

Fort Yuma Gold (also known as For a Few Extra Dollars) was originally released in 1966. It's technically the second installment in a trilogy that started with One Silver Dollar and ended with Wanted. Directed by Calvin J. Padget, the film stars Montgomery Wood (a.k.a. Giuliano Gemma) as Gary Diamond, a captured Confederate solider who agrees to lead Union soldiers against Major Sanders, a leader of Southern followers who want to attack Fort Yuma. The cast also includes Dan Vadis, Jacques Sernas, and Sophie Daumier. The film's score is by Ennio Morricone and Gianni Ferrio.

Damned Hot Day of Fire (also known as Machine Gun Killers and Gatling Gun) was originally released in 1968. Directed by Paolo Bianchini, the film stars Robert Woods as Chris Tanner, a Union Captain who must clear his name after bandits kidnap the Gatling gun inventor, Richard Gatling, for a million dollar ransom. To make things worse, the bandits also stole Gatling's new gun with the intention of selling it to the Confederates. The movie also stars John Ireland and Evelyn Stewart. The film's score is by Perio Piccioni.

Final Thoughts

I've been a fan of spaghetti westerns for nearly 20 years but I've never heard of Fort Yuma Gold or Damned Hot Day of Fire until they were released to Blu-ray. Neither film are very good but both of them have several entertaining moments. In my opinion, Damned Hot Day of Fire is the better of the duo. Just don't expect the greatest acting and lower your expectations quite a bit, then you just might enjoy watching these westerns.

Considering the fact two film are shoved onto one disc, the picture and sound qualities are pretty decent; though there are many grain scenes. I for one like a "grittiness" look to spaghetti westerns so the qualities didn't bother me at all.

Overall, if you're into spaghetti westerns, then you're probably more than likely going to like Fort Yuma Gold and Damned Hot Day of Fire. Like I said, these aren't the greatest westerns ever made but at least they're fun to watch.